KP401 - how to get realtime voltage / amperage / wattage?
Hi there,
PLEASE NOTE THIS IS FOR THE KP401 -- WHICH IS NOT LISTED IN THE MODEL DROP-DOWN ABOVE
I have a KP401 connected to my backyard fountain...which occasionally runs out of water. Luckily, I have a pump that has a low-water shutoff so the pump doesn't burn out.
I thought "why not monitor the voltage / amperage / wattage -- and when outlet is on but the pump doesn't seem to be drawing much, send an alert to me that the water needs refilling?"
Both the Kasa and Tapo iPhone apps don't report that type of information for the KP401.
Both https://github.com/python-kasa/python-kasa and https://github.com/plasticrake/tplink-smarthome-api will connect to the device and get information out -- but neither reports any sort of voltage / amperage / wattage.
Is the KP401 hardware just lacking in sensors for that information? My KP125's have it.
Help?
The information that the community projects pull is still dependent on the overall information reported to the plug. This information is available to some devices, but is almost entirely limited to the devices that are labeled as being compatible with Energy Monitoring, such as the KP125.
Keep in mind the KP401 is different from the KP400, in that the KP401 will change the power delivered to the end device. I imagine this could be harmful to the motor unless it is designed to do so.
FYI There is actually now a feature built into the tapo app and the latest energy monitoring devices that would likely allow you to build this automation without needing to use a third-party application:
